The city is not a concrete jungle..

 

The entrance to Central Park off St Georges Terrace is the most incredible foil for reflections. Unfortunately no pics allowed walking through on the inside.. although I may have had a few accidental clicks over the years  :) Above the Terrace reflected in the entrance to the Rio Tinto building below. The St. Georges Terrace entrance to the Central Park Tower is all steel, glass and mirrors but walking through to the Hay Street exit/entrance is a completely different experience..

Which do you prefer? I like both for different reasons but if I was a city worker looking for a bit of shade to sit and enjoy lunch the beautiful tall trees on the Hay Street side would win every time. Hope you have a super weekend, take care and stay safe..

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City people..

 

It's been a while since I did a 'city people' post. We were in the city on Wednesday, it was the coolest day that we've had for a while, about 24C, so not really cold at all. It surprised me to see how many people were wearing jackets.. we really are a soft bunch in Perth when it comes to the weather :) I think my fav here are the super cool retro guy in skin tight red jeans top left and the lady bottom right who's outfit was super multi-patterned right down to the striped socks.. the young couple were pretty cute too 💙 Happy Friday, take care and stay safe..

The Spectacles Aboriginal Heritage Trail..

 

"Our ancestors roamed all over here. There was plenty of food, bush food, and plenty of animals. They all came in here for a drink even when most other water holes were dried up".. As told by Nyoongar Elder and Custodian Joe Walley..

I think about that! The Spectacle Aboriginal Heritage Trail is a five km loop walk through some incredibly diverse terrain.. the light at 5.30am was gorgeous. There was a majestic old  tree at the start of the walk and two magnificent old beauties at the end, with many tall trees creating early morning shadows along the way. I'm not going to say too much and hope you enjoy the walk with me. We saw not another soul the whole way, which was perfect :) Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..

Rainbow bee-eater..

 

Yesterday was Australia Day, or as many appropriately call it 'Invasion Day'. We decided to do something a little different this year and once again were up at 5.00am to hike the Spectacles Aboriginal Heritage Trail in the Beeliar Regional Park. It was the perfect morning for a hike, the temperature lower than it has been for a while, although the early start was still a good idea. Show you the pics tomorrow. Along the way the sound of small insect eating birds flitting high up from tree to tree was a delight, trying to catch a shot was another story. The Rainbow bee-eaters above and below are so pretty, you can see their gorgeous colours much clearer in the one minute video HERE..

This little bird below teased me for a good ten minutes, darting here and there before landing, looking down at me as if to say 'this is your chance but you'd better be quick', not the best shot but what can you do right! P seems to think it is a grey fantail, its fantail looks a bit worse for wear. More from the walk tomorrow. Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Sculpture by the Freeway..

 

While in West Perth a while back I came across a series of sculptures atop poles along Old Aberdeen Place, some cleverly constructed using old scrap metal pieces. Intrigued to know why I discovered it is a Sculpture by the Freeway Project.. 'an arts infrastructure project to create and install a series of sculptural plinths or ‘poles’ on Old Aberdeen Place. The plinths are designed so that sculptures can be installed and removed easily, for temporary public exhibition'. West Perth is an 'arty' area so I wasn't surprised and will go back in a few months to see what's new atop those poles :) Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

For her the beach was more than a dream..

 

The expression 'the grass is always greener' could not be more true when it is winter in one half of the world and summer on the other.. well for me anyway :) When I see the magical images of landscapes covered in snow that my fellow photo bloggers in the Northern Hemisphere post I think how wonderful to be there decked out in coats, scarves, gloves and beanies, hurtling snowballs playfully about, building snowmen.. you know what I mean :) and I'm sure for many, not all, the idea of wearing shorts, tee shirts and sunhats, walking or swimming by the sea is just as appealing right now.. ah well, it takes a pandemic to bring us back down to earth and appreciate exactly what we have, at least until we can travel again 😉 Artist unknown but loved the vibrant mural above spotted when in Leederville last week. Happy Monday, take care and stay safe..

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Harbour views at sun up.. encore et fini.

 

 The sculpture 'To the Fishermen' created by Fremantle artist Greg James commemorates the local fishermen who started the fishing industry in Fremantle, often under dangerous conditions. It is one of my favourite of the many Greg James sculptures around WA. The memorial incorporates '12 timber columns with the names of 608 fishermen taken from pre 1947 fishing licence records, who pioneered the industry in Fremantle, both men and women are equally honoured for their pioneering spirit and the hardships endured'..

The blue fishing boats in the harbour are super photogenic at any time of the day, this is the first time I've seen them in the shadows of the sun coming up..

Below looking down Fremantle High Street from the Round House at 6.30am hardly a creature stirred :) but the aroma of freshly ground coffee wafted reassuringly up from Chalkys Espesso Bar, down there to the right.. we may have been the first in for coffee and breakfast but by the time we left the cafe was buzzing, I should have taken a pic of that :) Have a good weekend, take care and stay safe..

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Harbour views at sun up..

 

Another hot day yesterday, we set off for Fremantle Harbour at 5.00am to catch some of that gorgeous light as the sun comes up. It was early but so worth it. Starting here at the entrance to the harbour the sculpture named the 'Fremantle Doctor' after the Fremantle Doctor which regularly saves us in the summer :) I really hope you can read the text below, it's such a cool sculpture with many uses..

 A few more shots along the way into the fishing boat harbour itself.. you will notice the umbrellas down and chairs empty in the restaurants in the harbour, not too many people around that early :) 

..and then into the harbour. We did find a spot to have breakfast, show you tomorrow, plus the gorgeous blue fishing boats in the early morning sun.. Happy Friday, take care and stay safe..

The writing is on the wall..

 

Literally! In a good way :) In Parlapa, a small family owned Italian caffe trattoria with a reputation for excellent coffee and amazing handmade potato gnocchi, writing on the wall is encouraged and if you embiggen the shot you will see lots of excellent reviews. I was a wee bit hesitant to scribble on the wall, years of  'don't draw on the walls' subconsciously rising up but if you look closely I did write something, albeit here and after the fact.. did you find it :) Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..

Twilight..

 

Saturday evening past we went with mon amie française Marie to the Twilight Markets in Maylands. Early mornings and late evenings are the best times to be out and about in this heatwave we are experiencing at the moment.. I think it's called summer :) After the market we had a stroll along the river and it was amazing to see the number of huge trees uprooted in one of the big storms we had last year. I'm guessing erosion caused by the close proximity to the waters edge didn't give the roots a strong enough hold to withstand the strong gusts of wind. Most of the trees had been cleared away but some left for the birds to nest in. Is it just me or is everyone still having probs with blogger, it's a nightly adventure to see whether I win against the beast, it's been touch and go a couple of times but so far I have prevailed, interpretation: so far I've managed to not put my fist through the screen :) Gaaah! Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Tree.. what tree?

 

I was looking for a recent image that might depict the outrageously hot summer we are experiencing this year, the above shot taken around noon last week on a 39C day in Leederville fits the bill perfectly don't you think.. can you feel the heat :) The brightness, the shadows and how the heck that tree is surviving I don't even want to think about! It has been a good few years since we have had a summer this hot right from the get go, I'm pretty much at the stage that if anyone within reach states that climate change is a hoax I might have to respond with something rather rude and you know that's not like moi 😉 Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

In memory of..

 Discovered the fantastical mural here when in South Fremantle for a farewell/birthday dinner for our Sydney family last week. Painted by ArtByDestroy in memory of, see top right hand corner. You can see the diverse and extensive range of art by this artist HERE, many of which you would have already seen here :) Hope you had/are still having the best weekend that you can, happy Monday, take care and stay safe..

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